Mana's Childhood
by IckleMana
Summary: The story gives Mana a childhood where violence and abuse were normal for her, until one day she was free. It also describes how she was brought into the Royal Palace. R&R please


**Authors Note:**. I wrote this as me and my house mate were rping. Me as Mana and her as TKB. This back story was thought up so Mana could argue back when Bakura accused her of living a sheltered life in the royal Palace. Enjoy and R&R. Thankies

I don't own Yugioh or any of the characters ^_^

**Mana's Story**

Hearing parents discipline their children was not uncommon, how else was a child expected to grow up with proper respect for their elders and for authority.

This is why passers-by on the street ignored the man's shouting. It was not always as easy to ignore the piercing scream of a child that followed the shouting, nor the woman's scolding of the child.

However the neighbours did ignore it. They knew the child and that it wasn't mere discipline that was inflicted on the child, however there was nothing they could do.

The following morning, just like every morning, an 8 year old girl with messy brown hair, a freshly split lip and multiple new bruises was seen fetching water. Though she could barely lift the pot on her way back there were no complaints.

People pitied the child, who was basically forced to do manual labour by her parents. Beaten, if not worse every night. She never smiled or laughed anymore, her lifeless eyes showing resignation. The child's spirit had been broken.

The same pattern had happened every day for almost 3 years and then one day her parents packed everything up and left the city.

A couple of days later the city guard burst into the house and found only the child. Bruised and starving, curled into a ball in the corner of the room. They removed the child from the house and the prying eyes of curious neighbours did not fail to realise.

It wasn't long before the street and market had heard the rumours about the couple who had lied about their wares, had been having money difficulties and mostly about how this couple had run away from the city leaving their daughter in the house to starve.

One of the couples in the neighbourhood decided to help the girl back to health. Even then they knew they couldn't keep her but at least they could give her a fighting chance. As it was the child would probably collapse and not survive a week on the streets.

The child had barely spoken and they had no idea of her name, her parents never used it in public. Since the couple currently had no children they called the child "girl". She never complained and always came when called so it stuck.

It had been a month since she had been found abandoned. For the first week she had only been able to stomach pureed food. However once she could take solid food things got better much quicker.

She began to realise she was free, the bruises faded, Life returned to her eyes and a smile to her face. Only the one terrifying scar remained, Luckily she could not see it and be reminded of the horrors that caused it as it was located on her lower back.

When the couple heard her laugh for the first time they knew it was time. The woman was pregnant and they could only afford to look after a single child. This had only been temporary to start with. When they told her this and that she would have to survive alone she just smiled back at them and then hugged them.

"Thank you for saving me." That was the last they saw of the child who was still only 8.

Because of the rumours about her and her parents the child was well known. Traders from the main market recognised her and were pleased to see the smile and to hear her laugh. Every now and then they would give her food, but it wasn't quite enough.

To actually be able to survive she had to steal. She didn't like to do it and before trying to steal any food she would always visit the main market to see if anyone would give her food. If not then she went to the slums market to see if she could steal anything, even a stale loaf of bread.

There were a few differences between the main market and the slums market. The Main market had city guard there and beggars and the ill were not welcomed. Any thieves operating there had to be very quick as it was much easier to be caught. However the guards were only in the slums when after a known criminal. Usually they ignored street urchins, so the child who had recently turned 9 years old skipped towards the slums humming along to a tune in her heard.

She skipped along the street and straight into a collision. She fell back landing on her bottom, stunned she looked up. Standing in front of her were two finely dressed men, each holding what looked like a trinket of pure gold. The first of the men she saw was tall and had a look of disgust on his face as her looked down at her. The second didn't appear to be paying her any attention; however she looked at them and noticed at least 6 guards that were with them.

It was unknown to the girl that these two men were two of the Pharaoh's high priests. priest Set and priest Shada.

"Stupid street urchin!" She heard one of the men mutter.

"Now, Now Set. Leave the girl alone. We are searching for known criminals. We're not her to scare little children." The other replied.

"And how do we know she's not a thief. I mean look at her…" Priest Set trailed off as her turned to see the girl running away. "Now I'm sure she's a thief. Guards catch her!" Acknowledging the order the guards started in pursuit of the child.

Listen to the men's conversation the child had become increasingly scared. She heard the scarier of the two announcing she might be a thief and was terrified that they knew she was. It didn't occur to her that not one had ever caught her stealing or that she didn't have anything on her that could have been stolen. She just ran. Ran away from the scary men, ran away from the guards and away from her common sense as she did not notice the direction she was running.

As she turned a corner she saw more guards, who until the arrival of the guards in pursuit had just watched her cautiously. In her panic now that there were more guards chasing her she darted round the next corner and closed her eyes, hoping, praying that they didn't catch her. Her eyes opened in time to see a wall and then a perfectly kept garden.

The child stopped suddenly and looked round only to find a stone wall blocking the way she came. "B…but wall… now garden…" the child said in a dazed voice and collapsed to the ground in shock.

She was not the only person shocked. Another of the Pharaoh's high priests had been walking though the garden, Mahaado, who was one of the most powerful magicians in the land. Priest Mahaado had just seen the small child appear through the wall and from the surprised shouts on the other side of the wall he assumed the guards had just lost her even though it was a dead end.

Priest Mahaado called for some guards. "Will you please make sure that Pharaoh Akhenamkhanen and prince Atem are in the throne room." He then approached the child and coaxed her into following him.

The child had given up. She didn't know how but she had run through a wall, and whilst she was shocked about this more guards had appeared and now there was no way out. So she followed the man around the maze that was the royal palace.

As they entered the throne room the girl saw the two men from earlier and attempted to hide behind the man who was leading her. However they weren't paying attention to her. The man stopped in front of the throne waiting to be addressed and the child was still trying to hide behind his legs.

"What is it Mahaado?" The Pharaoh asked.

"If you will excuse my rudeness, I would like to have this girl's heka tested as I feel she will make a powerful magician in the future." At this statement all of the priests turned to Mahaado and saw the small child behind him.

"And what makes you believe this street urchin has any power?" Priest Set asked condescendingly as her surveyed the child. The child wasn't sure if he recognised her however he had the same look of his face as earlier, maybe his face was just stuck like that permanently. At that thought the child almost giggled…. Almost.

"Though I do not know why she was running, she managed to run through the palace wall." When the priests and Pharaoh heard this they all took a second look at the child. Who was still hiding behind priest Mahaado's legs slightly terrified and still wanting to laugh at the scary priest.

"Very well," priest Shada spoke. "I shall measure her heka." He proceeded to do so. The child recognised this man too, however wasn't as scared of him. Just the trinket he was holding and what he was apparently doing to her, though she could feel nothing.

"Hmmmm, she does have quite a lot of potential, however is untapped. Only accessible in extreme situations of panic"

"Then I would like to take her in as my apprentice and train her to reach her full potential for the good of the land." Priest Mahaado announced.

"But you don't know anything about her!" Priest Set exclaimed. His expression finally changing from one of disgust to horror at the thought a dirty street urchin would be brought into the palace. "She could be a Thief!"

"Set be quiet!" The Pharaoh ordered. "Child what is your name?"

The child looked towards the ground. For the past 4 years she had been called girl, brat, and useless among other things. She had a name but it had been so long since it was used. Now all it did was bring her back to before her parents left her, back to the beatings, burning and pain. Unconsciously her hand reached round to her back and gripped the clothing above her scar and tears came to her eyes. No she couldn't use that name, she would never be free. For whatever reason the man she was next to wanted to look after her. This was a chance from the gods to live a different life, with a different name.

"I… I don't have a name." The girl said quietly but audibly. For a moment no one spoke.

"What happened to you?" A new voice reached her ears and she looked up to see who it was. The prince, a boy maybe a few years older than her with the most identifiable hair in Egypt had come to stand in front of her. Though surprised that the prince would ask her about her life and with such sadness in his voice, she started to tell her story as she could remember it.

When she had finished she looked up. Both the prince and priest Mahaado looked as though they were in pain, as though it was hard to believe such things happened in the city. Most of the other faces in the room showed pity at her plight and amazement at her survival.

The Pharaoh accepted the child as priest Mahaado's apprentice and into the palace. The prince still in front of her spoke. "So you don't have a name?" The child shook her head. "Then we are going to have to give you one since you are going to be here." The child's eyes brightened up.

"How about Mana?" The priest Mahaado asked. The child… no Mana smiled and nodded enthusiastically. She had a new name and a goal to her new life she was finally free and able to survive.


End file.
